The recent verification of the YORP effect, that solar radiation
pressure makes asteroid spin rates change over relatively short time
spans, has wide-ranging consequences for the life cycles of small
asteroids. As the spin rate of an asteroid changes, its minimum
energy configuration can change and lead to profound shifts in how
its mass is distributed. If the spin rate continues to increase it
becomes possible for an asteroid to fission into multiple pieces,
forming a binary asteroid. These proto-binary asteroid can follow
several fundamentally different paths as a function of their initial
morphology, including mutual escape, re-impact, and transition into
a stable binary system. Recent in situ and remote observations of
asteroids support this picture, and imply that the smallest members
of the asteroid family have an active and interesting life.